FG, cement producers agree on discount for mass housing project

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says cement manufacturers in the country have agreed to provide discounts in support of the federal government’s mass housing project.

Osinbajo was speaking after an inspection tour of the completed model houses in Dei Dei, Abuja.

The Muhammadu Buhari-led administration seeks to construct 300,000 houses under the economic sustainability plan (ESP) for low-income earners through its social housing scheme.

Osinbajo said the buildings will be affordable for everyone, including Nigerians earning N30,000 minimum wage.

He commended the manufacturers for their support, saying such contribution will count towards the success of the programme.

“They (cement manufacturers) have agreed to give cement for this project at a considerable discount which is a very helpful thing to do and we really commend and thank them for the contributions they are making, it is a very patriotic thing on their part. They also see the importance of this mass housing programme,” a statement by Laolu Akande, his spokesman, quoted the vice president to have said.

“On average, anybody who is earning N30,000 a month and is ready to spend a third of that amount will be able to afford one of these houses, that is the plan. What I have seen so far, there is a one-bedroom unit and there is a two-bedroom unit, both coming under N2 million.

“I think that this is a very good thing indeed. And a point has been made that it is possible to build good, decent accommodation that isn’t out of the reach of practically everyone.”

Osinbajo said the mass housing programme will be replicated in other states across the country.

He said the project will provide about 1.8 million jobs for Nigerian youths, adding that local materials will also be prioritised during the construction.

“We are hoping that we will be able to replicate this not just in Abuja but all over the country. So far, the family homes fund is in 11 states, and they have given up land for the project,” he said.

“We are hoping that this year, we will be able to very rapidly improve the scale and speed of putting these houses in place. Once we are able to get moving quickly, we think we can make available several thousands of houses across the country and more people can afford to live in such houses.

“Also important is the job creation aspect of it. You have young men and women who are builders, architects, civil engineers working on this project. We are hoping that a lot of the building materials will be locally fabricated especially the windows, doors and other components of the houses.”

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved a N200 billion facility for the first tranche of the housing scheme.